Now is the Right Time

You read the book a week ago, someone else is reading it right now, and still another person will read the book someday far into the future. If you are given an assignment that requires writing about the book, however, it doesn’t matter when you read it (as long as you read it in plenty of time to write about it for your assignment). Discussions of written works are supposed to be written in present tense, also known as literary present tense.

There actually is a reason for the rule that says that writing about writing is done in the present tense. Books, plays, movies, poems, and other literary works are considered to exist in a timeless place; but when referring to them, there is a given time – it is always right now, in the moment, in the present. The logic behind this convention is that even if you read the book five months ago, well into your personal past, the book still exists in the present and continues to do so in the future.

Exceptions to the rule come into the mix when writing about subjects other than literature, though. For some disciplines (science, math, history, etc.), the convention or preference of instructors may be for their students to use past tense, at times even when the students are writing about something they’ve read for a course. While you probably won’t need to ask an English teacher whether or not past tense is acceptable when writing about written works (The answer is definitely no) other instructors may not may insist on the traditional rule. It’s best to double check with individual instructors and verify requirements before composing an essay.

What is likely to happen when you quote from a book about which you’re writing? You’ve probably heard that it’s wrong to mix tenses in a sentence; and it’s equally probable that the quote you’ve chosen to use will be framed in past tense, since most stories are written in past tense. Again, exceptions occur. Continue to use present tense in your own discussion of the literary work.

A sentence that leads into the quote might go something like this: The author of Zee Book tells the reader his character represents joy when he writes, “Zee loudly proclaimed that she’d never before known such terrible happiness.”

The tenses are mixed, yes, but there is a logic that continues throughout your paper. You have discussed the book and provided evidence of what you say through a quote about the character in present tense, while the quote from the book in past tense flows along without confusing the reader. As long as you keep to a pattern, that of using present tense for discussions of written works, there won’t be strange or awkward tense shifts in your paper.

See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! My next entry is coming soon. ‘Til then, hang ten!

In Honor of National Punctuation Day!

I’m excited to announce that this Friday, September 24, is National Punctuation Day! In honor of this occasion, I thought I would share some punctuation tips regarding dialogue.

One literary device many writers use is dialogue, having their characters speak. It’s sort of like eavesdropping for the reader, being outside the conversation but knowing what is said. Dialogue is useful for moving the plot along and for making the characters appear real.

When it is time to punctuate dialogue, certain rules apply. One major rule is that each time there is a change in the speaker, a new paragraph is begun to separate one speaker from the next. While there might be a long paragraph with only one character speaking, if any other voice interjects, a whole new paragraph is required to signify that a different character has something to say. Written dialogue may look much like the following:

“I say,” said the star to the gulf waters, “your beach is deserted today. Perhaps I should increase my radiance and send more light and warmth to the world.”

The green-blue waves below replied, “You are right on, Yellow Sun. It would be good to see friends today, and they are likely to come to the shore if you are brightly shining.”

A seagull in flight overheard the two speaking and thought, “Yes, lots of bread and tasty corn chips… good food to be tossed my way when the sun is bright and humans come to the beach.”

Three particular rules apply to the imaginary dialogue above. New paragraphs begin for each new speaker; quotation marks show the words spoken or thought; and the third rule is that italics indicate when the speaker’s words are thought instead of said aloud. Note also that commas are placed inside the quotation marks. Using dialogue enhances written work, brings it to life; and punctuating dialogue is easier than might be supposed.

Enjoy National Punctuation Day!

See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! My next entry is coming soon. ‘Til then, hang ten!

Finding Subjects and Verbs

Along with a complete thought, the subject and the verb of a sentence are its primary components. The basic key to becoming an effective writer is to make certain that all three required components are in place for each sentence. To do that, recognizing subjects and verbs is necessary.

When we talk, we are not going to parse what we say and identify separate components of our speech; but if a person fails to include a subject, a verb, and a complete thought when talking, someone is bound to ask, “Huh? What, a wave? What happened?”

Because any given sentence may include several nouns and verbs, difficulties can occur when identifying which words are the actual subject and accompanying verb.

First, ask what the sentence is really about—the person, place, object or idea—in order to identify the subject. Then ask what is happening to that subject or what the subject is doing in order to identify the verb. Cross out all the other words, which may be dependent clauses, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, etc., which are used to add information. When all else is removed, what remains is the subject and verb. Together they should express a complete, if somewhat limited, thought.

I’ll place in parentheses the extra words in the next sentence:

(Even when the weather was not as sunny and warm as usual,) I went (to the beach to enjoy the sound of the waves.)

The subject "I" and the verb "went" are all that is left. While it is not always perfectly easy or simple to determine the subject and verb of a sentence, doing so can prevent fragments from appearing when the writer intends to compose a complete sentence.

Sunny days and great essays, that’s the main idea!

See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! My next entry is coming soon. ‘Til then, hang ten!

Help! I Need a Proofreader/Editor!

It is a laudable and even sensible goal for students to try to turn in grammatically correct papers; and, on occasion, one might come to the Stone Writing Center in hopes of getting an editor to find and fix every tiny, imaginable error he might have made. His hope, however, will not be fulfilled. Tutors can and will offer reasonable, diagnostic help, though. We can point out problem areas and teach students how to do the same kind of assessment of their writing. Our goal is for each student to become his own best editor so that he will not have to rely on others. It takes time and effort, but each aspect of grammar learned pays off over time, even if the work involved is not exactly a day at the beach. It may sound as if tutors lack sympathy for the student whose aim is a perfect paper; but our main goal is to assist students to become better writers (Mission Statement ). Even though the student’s immediate concern may be the paper due, the tutor’s concern is for the student as a writer overall. Tutors critique papers and suggest strategies for improvement but will not change/correct any student’s paper line by line. To do so would shortchange the student in the long run. That said, most writers do need someone else to look over their work, since we are often blind to our own errors. The reality is that we all make mistakes now and then. A friend or relative or fellow student might be able to help by reading the student’s paper and offering suggestions. The best idea, however, is for the writer to review errors that have been problematic for him in the past and learn the ins and outs of grammar so that he can be self-reliant. A student who wants to produce perfectly correct papers might also benefit from keeping a record of mistakes teachers have pointed out along the way. Then he can double check his work to be certain those same mistakes have not landed – like pesky squawking gulls - on his pages again. See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! My next entry is coming soon. ‘Til then, hang ten!